Realm Runners

Cliff and Sam make their way over to the Temple of Amanator. Sam sits down quietly in the back as the monk heads towards a large relief of a Golden Sun to explore his new found faith. An elder of Amanator greets him as he approaches the altar. Cliff asks for information attempts to express what he is going through and calls into question his punching of Undead in the eye of the golden sun. The elder, named Alfaeus, reccomends punching whatever his heart tells him to punch, and offers him time alone to meditate.

Everything in the temple begins to shine with a divine light. Cliff feels an overwhelming sense of love and protection. The large Golden Sun relief of Amanator mounted on the wall before him shatters and opens, becoming a window to another place…

He can see a volcano erupting, then a forest edge at dusk, the bodies of Eladrin and Elven warriors lie among the remains of undead. A bell rings out in the night, and an army of skeletal dwarves charge forward across a field.

The Temple of Amanator begins to burn up around him. It’s walls crumble away, to reveal a burning Neverwinter. A screeching wail can be heard above, the silhouette of a Dracolich beats it’s wings amongst the billowing smoke.

The temple returns as it was, the sun reforms, and the divine light returns to the light of dawn.

Cliff stands as the vision fades and his Tattoo reforms into a new design. The elder returns with a scroll of information about Amanator. He thanks Elder Alfaeus and leaves quickly with Sam, telling him what he just experienced. They make their way back to the Golden Griffon.

Worm Delivery

As Mentathenis, and the others are getting back to the Inn, Terrlen greets him warmly after having missed his return. He tells the Eladrin that he met Lex Broadbarn last night while drinking at the Gullhouse and the halfling has been waiting for him to pick up the worm that Saranine requested, delivered by Trysta Riversong.

Mentathenis, Aces, Fanidea and Megilwath head to the western cliffs to the site of the fairgrounds of Neverwinter. As they approach, they can see four wagons, two of which are large cages, one piled with rocks. and one is an ornate carriage. One of the cages is covered and one holds a large Dire Deer. They make their way past the two guards and enter into Lex Broadbarn’s office cart.

The Halfling Entertainment King greets Mentathenis, and the two briefly talk about his Faire, Mentathenis’ father, and their adventures together. He informs Mentathenis that Trysta left to help fight against the Netherese in Neverwinter Wood after dropping the creature off. The worm will respond to the name “Gyre” and consumes rocks and any other organic thing placed in front of it.

They thank the halfling and say their farewells. The three head out to inspect the worm as the remaining Broadbarn Faire wagons pull away from Neverwinter. Fanidea has heard tale of Drow Priestess’ in the underdark controlling purple worms with certain magical items, but she is unsure what exactly is required to do it properly.

As they feed it rocks and try to figure out ways to get the worm to dig where they need it, the ground rumbles beneath their feet. In the distance, to the north east, a red orange glow blasts smoke into the sky. Moments later, a concussive blast rips across the city. Mount Hotenow has erupted, and the Dracolich Aurgloroasa can be seen in the skies above the volcano.

Aces’ Gamble

After regrouping at the Golden Griffon and hearing about Cliff’s vision, including Aurgloroasa, her dwarven army of Thunderholm, and the possible fate of Neverwinter. Aces invites Megilwath to help her free Valindra Shadowmantle from the dungeon. When asked why by Fanidea and Sam, the mul admits she believes the only way to defeat an army of such size is to free Valindra and make allies of the Thayan Undead Empire.

Fanidea goes with them, unwilling to let Megilwath out of her sight, at the behest of Aces who would have rather relied on stealth. They pass the guards with ease and head down into the dungeon, making their way to the bottom and into Valindra’s cell. The Lich, now returned to her Eladrin form, is suprised to see them again. Aces attempts to make amends for the misunderstanding of her motives and offers the Lich back her rings. She also offers the bones of the remaining Neverwinter Nine if they can speak to her boss, the Red Wizard Szass Tam.

Valindra agrees and opens a portal between the dungeon cell and another room. Through the portal, Aces, Megilwath and Fanidea can see into a command room packed with undead. The Red Wizard sits on a raised throne in the center of the room, overseeing. Aces stands for a long while staring through the portal, questioning her decision to take this path. Finally she steps through and Valindra motions for her to speak with Szass Tam.

After talking things through with the Thayan command, and turning over the powdered bones of the Nine, Szass Tam agrees to protect Neverwinter and it’s mortal citizens from the encroaching Shadovar and their allies. Satisfied with the outcome of the tenuous meeting, Aces, Fanidea and Megilwath step back through the portal. On their way out of the dungeon, they pretend that Valindra has escaped her cell due to negligence of security on the part of the Neverwinter Guard.

Securing a Vessel

As Cliff, Ehd and Sam watch over Gyre; Aces, and Mentathenis return to the docks near the Gullhouse and talk to Gregor Faringray about chartering the Tombstone for their journey into the trackless sea in the hunt for the Island that Saranine believes may hold the key to the locations of the other wraith blade shards.

The old sailor tells them that it of great risk to sail into the Trackless Sea this time of year. The weather is a danger and to stock a ship for that kind of journey and for that many is highly expensive, beyond loading a giant worm and it’s pile of rocks. Not to mention the possibility of piracy, or disease, or sea monsters…It would be irresponsible. The passengers, his crew and sons, could end up paying with their lives. He reminds Aces that the Tombstone is old, and is not a fast ship.

Despite this Aces and Mentathenis convince Gregor to rig the ship for such a journey at the cost of 7,500 gold, and the party begins to move their cargo onto the ship.

Scouting

Sam, upset by being left out of the decision to suddenly place their trust in Thay, asks Lythannis, Mentathenis and Modreg to mount up on Celestine to scout the woods to see if there is a better way to protect Neverwinter besides placing it in the hands of another undead army.

The three fly out over the woods and see the Elves and Eladrin still cleaning up Xinlenal’s remaining forces. As they fly closer to Mount Hotenow, they can see the army of the Thunderpeaks assembling. They spot thousands of undead dwarves, hounds and Minotaurs.

They keep their distance and head back hastily when a draconic scream can be heard.

They return to Neverwinter and tell the others what they would be up against. Knowing the enemies numbers, the heroes decide to stay through the night and be the city’s last line of defense if the Thayan lines are broken.

Battle of the Never

In the evening, no dwarves make their way across the fields towards the city, though a Blazing fire spreads through Neverwinter Wood as the sounds of thunderholm catapults lay siege to unseen armies. Green arcane flashes and explosions can be seen and heard well into the night. By the next dawn, Neverwinter, and all it’s guardsmen still stand at post without a scratch. Aurgloroasa is nowhere to be seen. It appears that Aces’ deal with The Thayan Empire has paid off.

Aces, Cliff, Ehd, Megilwath, Fanidea and Modreg inspect the green flashing ring on Valindra’s finger. Fanidea notices a fingerprint on top of the inlaid gem and Ehd takes the unconscious lich’s finger and swipes it across the green gem. They hear a raspy voice emanating from within the ring.

“Valindra! Where are you? The Shadovar are overrunning the elves of Neverwinter Wood! A legion of undead dwarves have come down from mount Hotenow. The time to attack is now! We need the remaining six! Valindra? Valindra!”

Thinking quickly, Fanidea puts on a deathly voice and pretends to be the lich.

Through conversation, the party discovers they are talking to a female named Caikrek at the Thayan High Enclave Command, overseen by the Red Wizard Szass Tam. Cliff and Ehd pretend to be “New friends and employers” of Valindra, and offer resignation on behalf of her to end her employment by the Thayan Empire. When Szass Tam asks for reason, they swipe off the Thayan linking ring.

They decide to wake Valindra to tell her the news that she’s been terminated by the Enclave and attempt to get further information out of her by threatening to cut out her tongue, chop off her arms and legs and stick her in a box for eternity. They learn about the Thayan Empire, their history of being slavers, and the Red Wizards being Undead and Necromantic. She is also forced to cough up her plans to ressurect the Neverwinter Nine to fight for the empire.

They knock her out once more, and Cliff throws her unconscious, undead corpse over his shoulder and they set off into the Tomb to locate the burials of the remaining Neverwinter Nine.

Seeking Rumors

Mentathenis, Sam and Nitzi continue to look around the Neverwinter graveyard groundskeeper’s shack for clues when Sam notices a cloaked figure approaching with a lantern from across the graveyard. As he draws closer, recognizing the eladrin, he pulls back his hood to reveal himself as Gendar. The drow explains that he was out looking for where Fanidea may have wandered off to.

Mentathenis asks Nitzi to assist him in Seeking Rumor and together they hear of Neverwinter’s canals getting warmer, the pending eruption of Mount Hotenow, a dracolich seen in skies, when the Broadbarn Fair may be back in town, the crumbling and flooded eyesore that is Castle Never, and the battle in Neverwinter Wood, fear of the Shadovar.

They decide to check out the canals, and Gendar accompanies them. When they get to the nearest waterway, they find the water to indeed be much warmer than is normal for Neverwinter this time of year. Mentathenis believes it to be geological and may mean that the mountain is truly nearing eruption. Gendar decides to retire back to his wagon, slightly perturbed of the idea of the volcano erupting. Mentathenis, Sam and Nitzi move on to investigate the ruined Castle Never.

Detours

Aces, Cliff, Ehd, Megilwath, Fanidea and Modreg finish locating the tombs of the remaining Neverwinter Nine and pulverize their bones under the advice of Cliff to ensure that they can never be ressurects by the evil armies of the dead. He also has Aces fill her bag of holding with the bone and dust chips of all six honored warriors. Then they make for the exit of the dark tomb, with Fanidea in the lead once more.

After many minutes of navigating the tombs many corridors and rooms, Fanidea leads them to a point that has been collapsed from above. Dirt, rock and stone block their way, and water pours along the walls. They trudge through a foot deep pool of water in order to assess their roadblock. Fanidea decides it far too dangerous to attempt to dig through and out. Megilwath investigates the pool of water and finds an exit flow through a couple shifted wall stones. Aces and Cliff think the wall may be weakened enough to push through to the other side.

After crashing through the wall and sliding down a wet muddy passage, they find themselves in the cisterns of Neverwinter. A crude carved map on the wall shows two rows of 20 large interconnected water pools separated by a 10 foot raised walkway leading to the exit.

Megilwath and Fanidea notice they are not alone in the dark of the pools. A lone humanoid figure stands down the walkway, staring blankly into the pool. His flesh is dripping with mucus and translucent, it twitches, and turns to look towards the heroes.

Castle Never

Mentathenis, Nitzi and Sam make their way across the flooded ruin of the old decrepit caste. The water is dark and motstly stagnant. The sound of bats and other vermin echo through it’s toppled walls and towers. Out of the corner of her eye Sam spots a ghostly spectre of a young woman shifting in and out of the darkness beyond a crumbled archway.

They jump across a broken pillar and head towards her. She doesn’t appear to pay any attention to the three. Mentathenis instructs Nitzi to make contact and the Eladrin hops down and tries to talk to the ghost. Immediately, the ghost turns and flies up to Nitzi silently begging of her. Nitzi steps back perplexed and looks to Mentathenis for advice. He and Sam approach and see the ghostly woman mouthing words. Sam is able to read her lips and they understand her to be Apple Alagondar, one of the royal daughters of Neverwinter. She tells them that a Lich has been digging in the area, and she fears that she may be searching for the Crown of Neverwinter. Then she beckons them deeper into the ruin.

The Host

Aces, Cliff, Ehd, Megilwath Fanidea and Modreg raise their weapons as the humanoid creature rushes down the walkway, gurgling. It lashes out at the mul, but Cliff slams it in the face, splitting it’s skull before it can get to her. It’s lifeless body falls into one of the pools to the side of the walkway.

Ehd looks the corpse over and figures it to be an Aboleth Servitor. Cliff draws the conclusion that there is most definately something called an Aboleth nearby. Ehd explains that the Servitors were once normal humans but were changed into some sort of mind controlled aquatic creature. As Ehd let’s the corpse back into the water, another servitor flies towards him. He falls back and Cliff kicks it back into the water. Aces draws her Maul and spins around as Fanidea and Megilwath slice up, and soul steal them each. Modreg steps back and hides.

A shadow moves under the water. A frenzy of tentacles, flippers, gills and yellow-green slime explodes around Aces, hitting everyone on the walkway. Aces slams the Aboleth in the face with her Maul and it shrieks. It lunges forward and stares into her eyes with it’s four fishy eyeballs. The Mul becomes dominated and turns on her friends. With Aces, the Aboleth is able to pose quite a threat to the heroes before she is finally able to shake off her domination.

The Aboleth is quick and crafty, darting from one pool to the next attacking and retreating. It flails and lashes and spits, hiding behind it’s many Servitors that it summons to it’s side.

The heroes take out the slippery minions as they come forward in defense of their master. The Aboleth drags the fight up and down the walkway and Cliff Aces and Ehd, give chase. Fanidea and Megilwath have no desire chase it around and they, with Modreg, watch from afar.

Everywhere the Aboleth tries to go, Cliff and Aces throw it around and kick it further down the walkway. Ehd supports them and tosses his hammer in for good measure. When the Aboleth is beaten to a more slimy pulp, it swims away quickly, but as fast as it can swim, Cliff can run. The shifter the fishy creature down the cisterns before finally diving into the water, and with a full body punch, sends the creature belly up.

The rest of the party catches up and sees that the cisterns in this part have been heavily sludgefied by the Aboleth. It looks like it was using the cities water supply as a slime coated lair. Ehd points out that there are more Servitors under the water, though it looks like they are brain dead with the Aboleth killed.

The heroes continue on down the walkway, and onto a rickety set of wooden stairs leading up and out of the cisterns back into the morning sun of Neverwinter. They emerge from a small shed in the north-west end of the city. As the heroes walk their way back to the Golden Griffon, the city is just beginning to wake up. Cliff breathes in the morning air, glad to be back in the light of Amanautor. He glances over at the ruins of Castle Never, and through the ruined structures, he catches a glimpse of three people standing deep within them, two of which look extremely familliar.

Reunion

Megilwath, Nitzi and Sam pour over the bones of three or more individual humanoid corpses, recently having been dug up and placed into careful organization. The ghost of Apple Alagondar faded away with the rising sun and left them trying to locate the Crown of Neverwinter in and around the grave.

They hear familliar voices and are surprised to look over and see Cliff, Ehd, Aces, Megilwath, Fanidea and Modreg bounding through the flooded ruins towards them. There are hugs and smiles, stories are exchanged, Nitzi is introduced to the others and though the whereabouts of Krushi and Ree’vr are still unknown, everyone is happy to finally be reunited.

Mentathenis explains what they are up to in the ruins, and Nitzi points out that Valindra’s corpse body over Cliff’s shoulder is kinda gross. Piecing things together, the group draws the conclusion that it was most likely Valindra who was digging through the ruins, and preparing the bodies of the royal family to be raised in undeath. Cliff promptly instructs everyone to pulverize the bones to dust for store in Aces’ Bag of Holding.
Mentathenis, not sensing the presence of any magic nearby, doesnt think the Crown of Neverwinter is in danger any longer.

The Interrogation and Sentencing of Valindra Shadowmantle

The heroes deliver Valindra to the Neverwinter Guard and are given their reward of 10,000 gold. They are formally asked by the head of the guard to conduct her interrogation. They also request the presence of the Mayor for her sentence.

Fearing Cliff’s threat of eternity in a box, Valindra admits to resurrection through undeath, the select bodies in Neverwinter’s Graveyard, the Tombs of Neverwinter, and in Castle Never including three of the honored Neverwinter Nine, and an attempt to ressurect members of the Royal Family. These crimes being done in the name of The Thayan Empire, by order of the Red Wizard, Ssazz Tam, in their effort to fight against the encroaching armies of Netherese, the Shadovar.

The Mayor of Neverwinter, an atrophied dwarf named Soman Galt arrives to advize and enact the sentencing. The group recommends against death for Valindra, and Cliff, given the Liches cooperation, decides against a dismembered eternity in a box. They tell the Mayor that chaining the Lich, alive, in their deepest darkest dungeon for the foreseeable future is enough punishment for her crimes against Neverwinter.

After being thanked once more by Mayor Galt, Balindra is hauled off to her new cell and the party heads back to the Golden Griffon. As Valindra is hauled off to her cell. Cliff, feeling off about his decision to pulverize the bones of the dead, heads for the Temple of Amanautor in Neverwinter.

Aces and Cliff charge in for Valindra, pressuring her into Fey Stepping away. Megilwath and Fanidea corner and subdue one of the Bone Archivists, and she raises it as a minion that she promptly names Boney. She sends Boney to attack another Archivist. Ehd directs combat and keeps the third Archivist busy. Modreg sneaks around in the shadows. Valindra attempts to bargain with the heroes. Asking that if they allow her to live, she will not send her army against Neverwinter. When that fails she begins to threaten. They discover her to be a Lich, and that they can’t kill her unless discovering where she hides her Phylactery, which could be hidden anywhere. Aces and Cliff wear her down and knock her unconscious.

The other two Bone Archivists are destroyed, along with Boney. Fanidea searches the tomb and discovers a [Necklace of Fate +3] Aces investigates the portal that Valindra was channeling and when she steps through, she finds herself in the Shadowfell. She quickly steps back through and tells the party they have to find another way out. Cliff slings the Eladrin Lich over his shoulder, and they attempt to make their way out of the Tomb of the Nine with Fanidea leading the way.

The Golden Griffon

Mentathenis, Sam, Nitzi, Athena, Droggle, Splug and Mira Shadowmoon, fly over the Neverwinter Wood atop their Hippogriff mounts. Below them, bursts of spell flame and the sound of clashing swords ring out as the battle between the New Sharandar Eladrin and the remaining Shadovar ground forces continues.

Mentathenis asks Mira how the battle is going and she tells him it’s going well. He requests that they be flown to Neverwinter and she and the Hippogriff group drop them at the gates. She thanks them for their help and Droggle asks if he can keep one of the Hippogriffs, but Mira informs him that Hippogriffs don’t like to be separated. They say their goodbyes, and Athena gets a list of Inns in Neverwinter from the guards that the six may stay at. Sam browses it for something that Lythannis would approve of. The Golden Griffon. Mentathenis notices a flier for the Lex Broadbarn Faire, though they are two days late. Another flier is a wanted poster for 10,000 gold by the order of the city guard for the bringing to justice of the defiler of Neverwinter Graveyard. Sam makes note.

When they arrive at the Golden Griffon, they are excitedly greeted by Celestine, Lythannis’ beloved Pegasus. They enter the establishment and Sam, using Sona’s guise inquires about the rooms on the top floor. He says two of the four rooms have been rented. And when uses her charm to ask by who, he replies Lythannis Ec’thillion and Terrlen Darkseeker.

They rent the other two rooms Droggle receives a statue of a Golden Griffon and they all head upstairs. They knock on Lythannis’ room and when he opens the door, he almost faints, disbelieving his eyes that his friends are alive. He embraces each of them in a tight hug. After Sam finds out that the rest of the group haven’t returned from Neverwinter Graveyard, Mentathenis takes a private moment together with Lythannis and Nitzi feels left out.

CSI: Neverwinter

After Athena, Droggle and Splug retire to regain their strength, Mentathenis rejoins Sam and Nitzi in the lobby, they decide to go out looking for their friends.

At the Neverwinter Graveyard they discover the defiled graves of dead knights and honored combatants. They find the door busted in on the groundskeepers shack and his five day old body laying in the floor. Sam concludes that he was killed by a knife to the back. But the other half of their party is nowhere to be found.

They head to the guards barracks for more information about the wanted flier. The guard is dismayed to find that the grounds keeper has been killed, and tells them that they have the feeling that it’s the Empire of Thay who is behind the grave robbing. Mentathenis knows Thay to have one of the largest populations of undead in all Faerun.

They return to the graveyard to look for more clues. Among the many mud tracked footprints, Sam is able to spot the prints of a goblin. Following these leads them around the graveyard a bit and then back to the grounds keeper’s shack, where they find the guards collecting the body of the murdered old man. Sam is angered by being unable to find where they all disappeared to.

The Icy Chill of Death

Fanidea leads the group through the labyrinthine tombs. She backtracks a few times attempting to find her way around collapsed sections. A few levels up, the party comes across a room covered in an icy veil, and it chills them to the bone. Whispers can be heard and four Winter Wights coalesce from the icy walls and charge the heroes. They find out before long, that with their deathly attacks and the ability to regenerate, the wights are quite powerful.

During the fight, Modreg sneaks around exploring the coffins nearby. The Wraith Blade tells Megilwath that the Tombs are great places to meet new friends, and that it is inviting someone named “Smiley” down to try out wielding the evil weapon. As the wights begin to drop. The sound of moans and screams starts coming down the halls from up ahead. Tombwalker Zombies and Skeleton Dreadguards shamble into the room attracted to the blade’s call. Before the fight is done, both Aces, Megilwath and Fanidea are knocked unconscious and nearly killed. Fanidea manages to stand again using her amulet. Cliff, still carrying Valindra around under his arm, holds off the remaining tomb inhabitants with support from Ehd and Modreg, as Fanidea, Megilwath and Aces heal up.

Finally Smiley, an Entropic Reaper shows up and declares that the Wraith Blade is his, and that he will not be stopped from attaining it. Aces and Cliff batter him around as Ehd and Fanidea lend support from a distance. They learn that Smiley is trapped in the tomb and he wants the Wraith Blade to keep the Thayans away, and stop them from ressurecting his companions and taking them away.

Once Smiley is shattered, the group notices a faint pulsing glow eminating from a ring on Valindra’s Finger.

Fanidea and Gendar pull up behind the other wagons entering into Neverwinter. They are hassled by the guards about their race and cargo briefly but eventually waved through and directed to the Vendor’s Square. They follow the guards directions, precisely but find themselves entering into a graveyard instead. Then they realize that the guards may have been pranking them and they continue through the city until they can find their way around the giant crevice that splits the whole thing in two. The only road into the main city seems to be through the graveyard after all, they finally find the vendor square and park. Gendar begins to unpack and make room for them to eat.

By the Sea

As the Tombstone rounds the last point, coming into view of Neverwinter harbor, Gregor Faringray thanks Aces and Modreg again for their help in crewing. He adds that if they ever want travel along the sword coast again, he would be more than happy to take them on.

The Feypoppies thank Ciff for his dance move training and Chael Starwind thanks Aces for her confidence building talks and thanks Modreg for his singing lessons. The four dwarves begin lugging all the Poppies’ belonings onto deck to be unloaded.

When the ship slides up against the Gullhouse, Megilwath is the first one off the boat, and looks to be returned to his mocking smiley self. Cliff, Terrlen and Ehd step off and onto the dock, and see why it’s called the Gullhouse. There are Sea Gulls everywhere and the entire building is caked white with their droppings. Lythannis and Terrlen help the Feypoppies off the boat and Aces and Modreg help unload their luggage. Waiting near the pier is a rather ornate royal cart drawn with 6 horses waiting for the performers and their dwarven servants. The Faringray’s head in to grab drinks, and after the Poppies leave, the heroes follow the crew into the tavern.

Rumors at the Gullhouse

Aces, Modreg, Cliff, Ehd, Megilwath, Terrlen and the Faringray’s talk with the bartender about Neverwinter, the climate for Drow, the exploded Shadovar city, and the damage at Baldur’s Gate. The bartender understands them to be heroes and offers them all a round of drinks. He then grabs a wanted parchment off the wall that draws the interest of the team.

It is a poster offering 10,000 gold for the ending of Neverwinter’s issue of grave robbings.

Aces, Modreg, Ehd, Cliff and Megilwath decide to check it out. Lythannis and Terrlen agree to find suitable shelter while they are out and meet back up at the Gullhouse later.

The Tempted Drow

They make their way across the wide bridge past the ruins of Castle Never and through a residential section. They suspect there is someone following them on the rooftops above, and Megilwath and Cliff hunt the mysterious watcher down. They corner him on a roof and subdue him quickly onto the ground. When they pull off his cloak, they see he is a Drow. Megilwath and Cliff discover that he was being lured by the Wraith Blade. He denies them much more information beyond that, causing Megilwath to become impatient. He raises the acursed Spectral Blade and slides it across the young dark elf’s throat, right in the middle of the street. Megilwath and Cliff leave his body and catch up to the others.

Valindra Shadowmantle

They head into Neverwinter Graveyard. After investigating and disovering a large number of unearthed graves, they see a flash of green light and hear a scream very nearby.

When they rush to investigate the source of the noise, they see an Eladrin woman roaming the grave yard. Thinking it strange that a woman would wander the graveyard in the middle of the night—they approach her to learn her name is Valindra and that she was visiting a long passed relative. Aces asks Modreg to escort her out of the graveyard and Modreg complies, because she is quite pretty. He chats her ear off as they head to the graveyard gates and despite his offer to walk her right home, she declines, repeatedly. She leaves him swiftly at the gate and disappears back into the city.

Fanidea Returns

Having awoken from a particularly stimulating meditation to the sound of a scream she decides to check out the graveyard for something to kill. Gendar stays behind because he’s not interested in getting into trouble. She makes her way through the graveyard gates and as she does, she thinks she can hear familliar voices…

She approaches the group with caution, keeping her hands raised and explaining her error in judgement and the lure of the Wraith Blade. She asks Aces to back her up on it because she said as much on the deck of the Tombstone to the mul before she rolled off the side. Aces believes the Drow woman. After much dispute and anger from Megilwath, the group agrees to take the cleric back.

Who is watching Neverwinter Graveyard?

They continue to search the unearthed graves and find that many of them appear to have been dug out of, as opposed to dug in to. They suspect foul necromancy, and continue to hunt. Another green flash and a moan sounds across the headstones. They rush back around to the eastern area and find Valindra, again, wandering the graveyard.

This time they suspect her of being more than just a mourning visitor. She admits she lied, and that she is actually the graveyard ground’s keeper. She was untruthful because the whole damn graveyard is defiled and it appears she is horrible at her job. Ehd suspects more lies and examines her deeply, to discover that she is in fact, undead herself!

She admits as much, and drops her disguise. Her beautiful eladrin skin shrivels up and sinks around her bones. Her robes darkening and tearing. Her voice crackles, but she convinces them that regardless of her being an undead eladrin, she is still a horrible groundskeeper and would like to retire for the night. Aces asks Modreg to escort her back to her housing on the graveyard grounds and Modreg complies, but this time she’s not very pretty.

When he leaves her at her front door, she closes it behind her and the goblin moves to peek through a window. He watches as the shriveled eladrin woman ponders silently for a moment, and then opens a green portal in the nearest wall. She steps over a body and through the swirling doorway. Modreg, noticing that the portal is slowly fading, runs back to get the group.

They all run to the ground’s house and Aces busts through the front door. They investigate the body on the floor of the house. Its the body of a very very old man who may have been dead for a while.

They all jump through the portal to chase down Valindra, suspecting her of murdering the old man, and posing as the groundskeeper.

Tomb of the Nine

Aces, Modreg, Megilwath, Cliff, Ehd and Fanidea emerge on the other side of the portal to find themselves in a tomb and under attack by a group of Icetomb Wights. The party manages to take out the chilling welcome party and search the room. Ehd and Fanidea identify the tomb as being of the Neverwinter Nine, and group of elite personal guards of the lords of the city.

In the main sarcophagus, lies the body of Slade, the last of the Nine. In his hands are gripped around a Mindcrusher Maul which Aces raises with love in her eyes.

She swings it around in a cinematic fashion, then urges the party to move on. There are a few jokes cracked about Wights and Ehd’s mother.

As they continue they are ambushed by Oblivion Wraiths who emerge from the walls, clawing and shrieking in horror. After a painstaking battle, they locate the coffins of N’halien and Tamper, and within one, they find a pair of Gloves of Transferrence.

In the next room of the tomb the party encounters Valindra and three Bone Archivists. The woman is just finishing raising a warrior from one of the sarcophagi. She then ushers the armored undead through a portal and turns to regard the heroes. She is surprised at their tenacity and sends her Bone Archivists to attack!

The corridor rumbles and shifts and the water ripples in an unnatural manner. For a moment Mentathenis, Sam, Nitzi, Athena, Droggle and Splug begin to feel lifted, as if the entire structure is rising and pulling them gently under the water. Shortly after, a second rumble echoes, and then the Enclave is quiet again. It seems the Mythallar is getting closer to being fully repaired. Xinlenal, the first Enclave will fly again soon.

Saranine’s Rescue

They return to the Ritual Chamber and find a different scene. It has been cleaned, and a glowing necrotic circle is now obvious in the center of the main platform. Saranathia lies within it. She appears badly wounded and unconscious. The Cult of the Dragon Priestess stands before her, holding a mirror and three other robed cultists assist. Five Knights of Shade guard the platform stairs.

As the heroes tread water, A blood curdling moan of a 1,000 dead emanates through the walls. The Shade Knights turn to each other in surprise. One of them yells out “We are under attack! Protect the Mythallar!” And they all exit the chamber, leaving the Ritual and the cultists unguarded.

As the six swim closer and start to pull themselves quietly out of the water, the can see that Sara is being drained of blood, which is pulled from her by four corrupted vats. Around the edge of the platform. When the blood gets close enough to each of the four vats, it is turned to red mist and sucked into the vat where it reemerges and drifts back into the Silver Dragon in the form of chilling silver mist. She is very weak, and can not stand or fight.

They charge up onto the platform to rescue Saranine. Droggle goes straight for the vats of corruption and Splug treads around, springing from the most to attack the cultists. Sam takes on the guise of a Knight of Shade and confusing the Priestess, and interrupting the ritual. Athena, Mentathenis and Nitzi stick the the platform’s stairs. Athena lends her clerical might and healing to her allies, while Mentatenis assaults with the arcane. Nitzi tries to stay out of trouble.

After long the vats are destroyed and the ritual circle is cleansed. The three cultists are killed and the heroes focus their attacks on the Priestess. When she becomes bloodied, she offers threat of what will happen when Aurgloroasa hears of their insolence. She applogises to the Dracolich having failed her, and clutches her chest, wracked in pain. Then she explodes.

Sara now in her eladrin form, is removed from the ritual circle by Sam and Splug and manages to become conscious just long enough to speak to Mentathenis…

“Mentathenis…I don’t think, that I…will be able to…write. Write this down…The subject appears to have been drained of her blood…that…they were using some sort of…corrupted basin to change the blood to a necrotic mist…It appeared cold…freezing… like being encased in ice. The subject may have lost…too much, blood to walk, and the Ouch! Mist! Seems to have tenderized it’s scales, eek! And bones. Subject was recovered of the agents of the Cult of the Dragon, under the lead of a housewife named Dyana, by her research team. Mentathenis, could you get someone to carry me? Thank-y…”

They bind their many wounds and attempt to stabilize Saranine.

The city shifts and moves, once more attempting to rise from it’s long rest. It shifts partially into the shadowfell and causes the rooms and hallways to be harder to navigate.

Looking Ahead

Splug explores stealthily. The doors on the East side of the ritual chamber are closed and locked but The goblin is able to pop them. Through the corridors and back to the Mythallar room, he finds it swarmed with Knights of Shade.

Through the North door of the ritual chamber and down the corridors he emerges into a series of stone walkways floating above a vast graveyard, filled with an army of the undead. Skeletons and Zombies mill about beneath the “Web of Stone.”

He returns to the ritual chamber to inform his friends that between the Shade Knights and the army of the dead, he recommends taking on the army. Mentathenis recommends they also check the South and they encounter a lone Shade Knight guard and kill him within an ornate hallway of reliefs of the twelve Princes of Shade. When they kill the guard, he hisses in his final breath. “Master they approach your chamber, be on your guard!” Then the shadow is expelled from his blackened armor with force and it clangs to the ground.

They continue on to discover a large chamber. The city lurches and begins to rise. This time, they do not feel it land.

A View from the Sword Coast

The water splashes against the side of the Tombstone, it creaks and bends, it’s sails full. Gregor Faringray walks back from the bow and gives every one a comforting smile. “We’ll put into Neverwinter just as they’re lighting the lanterns at the Gullhouse. Not much farther now. I wanted to thank you all for being such a good cre…” At this point Braeden, standing at the foredeck yells out “What in the Trackless Sea is that!?” He points shoreside. Beyond the cliff beach and deep forest, to the the distant North East, a dark shape is slowly rising into the sky.

Aces, Megilwath, Ehd, Cliff, Terrlen, Lythannis, the Feypoppies and their dwarven escorts all move to the rail of the boat to look on.

A large chamber scattered with blood and bodies. Something terrible happened there. Near the center of the room three large sickly glowing crystals pulse with necrotic energy, a fourth, lies shattered on the floor, surrounded by Spectral Servants attempting to repair it. Near the throne, The prince of Xinlenal stands in the center, a trance of swirling necrotic energy is being sent to him from the crystals, A statue of the dark goddess Shar looms over the altar.

As the heroes reveal themselves, the prince asks that they do not interrupt his ritual and they are free to leave. They decide not to take his offer despite Sam’s vote to do do so. Sam and Mentathenis are able to identify the ritual involving the four corrupted eladrin crystals. The prince is using the relics to form a gate to the Shadowfell in order to bring forth the “Messenger.” The three servants are attempting to repair the shattered crystal in order to activate the final link.

Droggle charges in to pull the Spectral Servants away from their repairs on his way to the prince, who quickly teleports away from the dwarf. Splug stealths around the side to move into a flanking position. Sam and Athena move in towards the crystals to work on cleansing them of their corruption. Mentathenis alerts the group of their origins and launches his attacks with Nitzi cheering him on.

They are able to cleanse all three crystals who’s healing energy is channeled into the fourth, repairing it. Where before the beams were necrotic, healing the enemy and harming the heroes, the tables are now turned. They have a little trouble dealing with the three spectral servants, whom prince Than’tul continues to raise to fight on.

During the ongoing battle Sam and Mentathenis notice a glowing portal being formed within the four functioning eladrin crystals. They think whatever is going to come through will need help, namely permission to come into the plane. Sam channels healing energy into the portal to unlock the gate.

Splug takes out some more spectral servants, while Droggle manages to trap the Prince in one of the healing beams, stripping his necrotic power and quickly wearing him down. Eventually he warns them that if they strike him down he will become more powerful than they could possibly imagine. And then he succumbs to Droggle’s insults and the healing beam. Just as the heroes are able to take a breather, the prince rises from the dead!

And then he flops right back down dead from standing in the beam of positive energy. He does this three more times before he is fully shifted into the shadowfell, and then flies out as an invincible ghostly specter!

Just as Sam finishes opening the Feygate. The heroes release an ancient spirit of the Feywild, she seems a bit disoriented at first, but once getting her bearings she zaps the prince of Xinlenal into complete non-existence. Then tells the heroes to wait there while she goes and surveys the structure. They are hardly able to take a breath before she zips back and tells them to get to safety, she has found what she believes to be the energy source for the city, and she will destroy it.

Before she zips out, Sam and Mentathenis ask the spirit if she can help Saranine. She informs them that her corrupted injuries are too great, and she would have to bring the dragon into the Feywild in order to heal her. They agree, but before she is transported int the Feywild, Sara wakes long enough to give Mentathenis the map to a place called “The God’s Island” in the Trackless Sea, and 2500 gold to help towards the charter of a ship in Neverwinter.

The Feyspirit then whisks Saranine into the Feywild and zips back towards the Mythallar room.

Across the Web of Stone

The heroes run back through the ritual chamber and through the north door, through more passageways and out into the mind bending Web of Stone. On one of the upper walkways is a Shadar’Kai Witch rallying the undead army into action.

As the heroes attempt to navigate the Web, the ended swarm into it, while behind them, two necrotic circles summon in strange necrotic energy creatures, that when near each other, form beams that sear living flesh. They fight through the mob, and eventually take out the Witch along their way to the edge of the graveyard and city. The city lurches a few times and begins to spin slowly out of control as the ancient eladrin spirit does her damage to the Mythallar.

Splug leads them through the twisting stone walkways over to an arcane prison for what appears to be an uncorrupted energy being. Sam and Mentathenis work together to open the magical seal, releasing the strange creature blasting into the sky.

Mentathenis catches sight of an Eladrin Hippogriff rider and signals to it. When the Hippogriff rider lands, they recognize her as Mira Shadowmoon. She tells them that it looks like the city is falling and asks if they have a way off. They ask her for assistance and she blows an exotic horn, calling in a pack of Hippogriff, to carry them out of the dying Shadovar City.

On the backs of Hippogriffs, into the evening sky, Mentathenis, Sam, Nitzi, Athena, Droggle and Mira escape the doomed enclave. Below them, the Eladrin of Sharandar fight the remaining undead milling about the crater left by the city. Behind them Xinlenal blows apart, sending pieces of debris flying hundreds of miles away and sending shock waves through the air.

Mentathenis, Nitzi and Sam go through the Shadar’Kai Witch’s body but only find her Symbol of Shar. A twisted thing, parts of small animals and demons are bonded together with twine and hair to form a strange symbol. Black smoke pours from a burning ember in it’s center. When held, it wriggles and shakes, as if alive. Mentathenis has Nitzi crush it and then they continue South East through Neverwinter Wood.

After long, they hear something running through the woods towards them from up ahead. It stops and they can hear it’s swords drawn. Mentathenis and Nitzi hear whispers on the wind through the rustling leaves. The creature leaps forward and yells out “Splaaaaaa!” as it is quickly entwined in roots that rip from the ground and lift the struggling lone goblin into the air. Confused, the three heroes look around to see where the spell may have been cast from.

Another group of Eladrin emerge from the woods, the leader of which, a heavily armored woman with a chakram nearly half her size greets the three and introduces herself as Mira Shadowmoon, a warden of “The Hole in the World.” She motions for her men to let the goblin down, and they draw their swords in preparation to kill it. Just as they are about to strike the screaming goblin, Mentathenis recognizes it as Splug!

The Eladrin halts their blades when Mentathenis says the goblin is known to him. Mira nods and her men step back, sheathing their swords. Splug runs to Mentathenis and attempts to explain that he, Athena and Droggle were taken prisoner inside Xinlenal when they were caught attempting to rescue Saranine from the Shadovar dungeon. He managed to escape the cell block and stealthily make his way into the sewers to swim around a giant ritual chamber. After sneaking through a huge orb room, up and out past a spooky alchemist lab and into the woods, he climbed down the Broken Edge and ran to look for help. Then he got caught in the Eladrin trap just moments ago.

Knowing Saranine as well, Mira offers them the aid of her brigade, and the heroes graciously accept. Before she leaves with her squad to gather her forces, she warns Mentathenis that “The woods are no longer our own, the shadows grow longer, and work against us.” They part ways with the Eladrin heading west and Splug leads Mentathenis, Nitzi and Sam towards the Broken Edge.

Supplies

On their trek along an overgrown path through the wood towards Xinlenal, they happen across a log shoved into the ground with a board crudely nailed to it. Across the board is scrawled the word “Supplize” with an arrow pointing off to a side path. Splug doesn’t remember seeing the sign on his way through the first time, so they decide to check it out and see if they can restock anything they may need.

When they reach the short path’s end, dug into a hillside is a small counter stand and what appears to be a hooded figure sitting low and unmoving, seemingly waiting patiently for customers.

As they approach the hooded supply vendor, an Ettin bursts from it’s hiding spot off to the side yelling “Supplize! I catch you in a clever trap! Now you be my dinner!” They engage the Ettin Spirittalker and after a fairly painless fight, the huge beast falls before them. There are of course, no supplies to be bought from the vendor, who was in fact, just a cloak propped on a stick. After the Ettin’s attempt at catching a hearty meal, Mentathenis, Nitzi, Sam and Splug continue on.

The Broken Edge

Not long after, they find themselves at the base of a 60 foot cliff. Splug tells them they must climb and they do their best to secure ropes and use grappling to ensure a safe ascent. The goblin makes it up first and helps to pull up the others. As he is doing so he is spotted by a hungry Hippogriff Matron who swoops from her perch in the trees and attempts to snatch the little goblin up. Splug is quick enough to move away but the beast soars around for a second attempt. The goblin secures the climbing line and defends himself, trying to slash at her as she flies by.

Mentathenis, Nitzi and Sam make their way up the cliff face and assist Splug in subduing the creature, but not killing it. After searching the area a little more, they discover her nest tucked into a rocky outcropping and bearing four recently hatched young. They decide not to disturb them and after long the matron regains consciousness and returns to her nest to protect them.

They continue to follow Splug towards the Shadar’kai Lab on the outer edge of Xinlenal.

Witchholm

As they approach the outer broken walls of the fallen city, they see two skeletons guarding the entrance. They duck to hide, and Splug moves around to the hole that he climbed through during his escape to get a better look behind the wall. On the other side, he sees two more skeleton guards and as he is about to make a move to attack, a Shadar’kai Witch emerges from a building with a small raven which she sets on fire and releases into the air. It flies about 10 feet into the sky, and then flops back to the ground in a burning heap. The witch cackles and sighs, returning to her lab. Splug waits until she is gone and signals to the others that he is going to attack.

He springs from his concealment and engages the two closest skeleton guards. Mentathenis, Nitzi and Sam also emerge and fight the outer guards.

With the skeletons out of the way, they barge into the building following the Shadar’kai witch and find her inside an alchemist’s lab of some sort. She screeches as they enter and threatens to use their skins in her experiments, teleporting to keep away from their attacks, but without her guards to protect her, she falls. They search around the lab and Splug manages to pick up 2 Alchemist’s Fire. Mentathenis makes a point to stop by to cook up some of his own potions on their way out. Splug leads them out the other side of the Witch Lab, through an alley, down into abandoned cellar, and through the tunnels in the underbelly of the dark city.

The Mythallar Stirs

The tunnel that Splug leads them down, opens into an expansive room with a 100 foot wide orb resting just 10 feet above their heads. Piles of eladrin artifacts and valuables are scattered throughout the room. There are two Knights of Shade standing sentry at both ends of the room and four shadowy cloaked figures move the eladrin relics into place to extract the residuum and feed it into the orb. Each time another relic is devoured, the dark orb pulses with light. Mentathenis and Sam identify it as the Mythallar, the Shadovar city’s heart of darkness, that, when repaired fully, would allow it to rise once more.

They decide to put a stop to it while there and engage the two Shade Knights . As with past encounters against the elite soldiers of Shade, they proove particularly challenging. Splug is knocked unconscious twice during the fight, and everyone sustains multiple injuries before Sam, in the guise of a Shadar’Kai Witch, is able to manipulate the two into standing down and leaving the orb room entirely.

After the Knights are sent off on another assignment. Mentathenis, Sam, Nitzi and Splug attack the cloaked shadow figures and realize that they appear to be illusory, taking only one hit to burst into smoke, then reforming and continuing their ritual again. They attempt to hit each of the four at the same time and that seems to stop them from returning, at least for a while.

From the Mythallar room Splug leads them into an underground waterway and towards the Ritual Chamber.

Early for the Ritual

Ducking under a low ceiling in the waterway, they swim quietly into a large circular ritual chamber. The water moat goes around the raised ritual platform, under stairs that rise to it on four sides and out the other end, which Splug says leads to the Dungeon where Athena and Droggle are being held. There are a host of Shade Knights on the main platform standing guard at each of the stairs. As the four heroes decide their plan to get across the room, an ornately dressed Shadovar, a dark priestess and three robed cultists walk onto the ritual platform. The priestess voices her disappointment with the condition of the chamber to the Shadovar but says it will do once straightened up. She calls on the three robed cultists to start clearing the debris from the watery moat and the Shadovar says he is going to check the Mythallar room, as it seems that there is a problem. The priestess asks the assistance of the four Shade Knights in helping her retrieve the dragon. Mentathenis identifies the priestess as being part of the Cult of the Dragon along with the three robed figures. The Shadovar Man, he believes, might be the prince of Xinlenal.

The party, with Splig in the lead start swimming their way around the ritual platform until The goblin is noticed by one of cultists. He pretends to be helping the cultist clean the moat and then when far enough from the other two cultists, he pulls the robed man into the water and holds him under until he expires. Mentathenis, Nitzi and Sam catch up quietly and they head through the watery tunnels into the Dungeon.

Dungeons Deep

The party emerges from the water into the dungeon block where Athena and Droggle are being held. After some sneaking around, they call themselves to attention of the Shade Knight guards and a host of skeletons. It is a lengthy, bloody battle to rescue their friends, one that sees Splug fall unconscious twice before being able to get to the right cell. By Sam’s healing abilities, and Mentathenis’ and Nitzi’s magic, they fight through, and Splug picks the lock on their cell door. Sam promptly questions why the goblin didn’t just pick it in the first place, to which none of the three have an answer for, and feel generally stupid.

Nonetheless, Athena and Droggle thank their friends for the brave rescue and make their way quickly to their effects in the storage room and suit up. Once armored, they join the fray against the remaining guards and are able to clear out the dungeon of enemies. One of whom decides to leave the fight early and retreat. Droggle asks Mentathenis about Krushi and where she is. Athena bestows Splug with the title “the Undying” and they prepare to free Saranine from her horrible fate.

The Tombstone continues to make it’s way up the Sword Coast. Captain Gregor and his two sons Braedon and Darrel are still exhausted, but Aces and Modreg are of great help in crewing the ship, allowing the three salty dogs a bit of rest.

Modreg becomes quite the rigging monkey, and is able to scurry up and down the masts effectively, adjusting and reefing sail. Cliff is up at dawn in the mornings doing fighting routines on the rails of the ship. The Feypoppies, Teena, Vitnee and Chael watch him and begin to incorporate his moves into their dance, noticing their interest, he takes an active roll in their practice, and they in turn teach him a few tricks as well.

Ehd decides to take the time to write a book on war strategy and Terrlen mostly keeps to himself and attempts to stay out of the way of the ship operations. Megilwath is almost never seen, and stays in a dark corner of the ship. Fanidea stirs in boredom.

At some point Rumbert approaches Aces and apologizes for beating her so badly in poker and asks about the curiosity about Sona and the Feypoppies. Aces tells the story of Sona and then Rumbert tells her what he knows about the musical troupe’s interest in the girl.

He talks about each of the three girls and runs down their places…Teena Tigerlily is the lead and she vyes for attention. She is a control freak and takes any idea she finds to be good as her own.

Vitnee Moonshale is the one who believes that Sona will be a great addition to the Poppies, and she secretly wishes to replace Teena with Sona as group leader, which is why she is desperately seeking her.

Chael Starwind is the third wheel, she tries her hardest to extinguish the fires between Teena and Vitnee. She is relegated to back up singer even though she has more talent and a better voice than both her group mates combined, though she never gets the spotlight. She is thinking about a solo career.

The two thank each other and Aces notices Braedon and Darrel using a spy glass to track movement over one of the islands. Aces sees what they are pointing at and tells them that it is Lythannis and his Pegasus, Celestine, just now catching up to the ship.

Sona’s Final Message

When the Eladrin dismounts the white winged horse, He stands as tall as always but his brow is furrowed more than is in character. He pulls Aces aside and speaks…

“We cleared the rubble, all the way into the underground levels and beyond the wizard’s library. There was…too much death. Blood everywhere. We. We couldn’t identify the bodies with so much damage. There were no survivors from inside the tower. I am sorry.”

He looks down for a moment and Aces denies that the Eladrin and Sam could be dead. She knows them to both be far craftier than Lythannis is giving them credit. Lythannis is filled with hesitant hope and regains his eladrin composure, then he says

“Something else though, among the few salvageable items from the library level we found this…”

He unwraps a dagger and hands it to Aces.

“They identified it as Sona Summergale’s Songblade. Once they accessed it’s secrets they found her entire catalog of songs, in full, along with one final message. Judging by the time it was infused, it would be after she was taken by the Shadovar.”

Everyone within earshot leans in at the mention of Sona Summergale. Lythannis places his hand on the dagger and tells the mul she should probably listen in private.

Down below Aces, Modreg, Megilwath, Terrlen and Lythannis listen to the message…

“Need help. So cold, so alone…betrayal. Abandoned! My head…whispers…Oh gods, the whispers! I told them…everything! The agony! Not my body…memories…fragments. The darkness! He returns. Never long…he returns! Please just let me die!”

When the message ends, everyone stands in silence, it takes them a while to discuss what it may mean. Aces can’t figure out how the dagger got into Sona’s hands after she was taken prisoner by the Shadovar, and even more perplexing, why it ended up in the wizard’s tower of Baldur’s Gate.

Lythannis then mostly keeps to himself, staring out at the sea, drawing picture after picture of Mentathenis.

That night, the boat makes anchor in a very narrow passage between the mainland Sword Coast and a group of islands halfway between Baldur’s Gate and Neverwinter.

Vision of the Demonweb Pits

Fanidea stands upon a crag over and within a webbed world, a massive funnel, floating moats and nests are all around her. It can only be described on a celestial scale as It stretches out, around, and behind her again, then twists upwards into infinity.

Though so large, it feels absolutely crushing and, it is nearly impossible for the Drow to breathe.

When she turns, she realize that she is at it’s end. The very bottom, and the deepest part of the spider’s lair. The the body of Lolth it’s entwined before her, spun-in, and tangled in webbing. She shifts, and her long slender widow-black legs push through and rip their way out. She emerges in all her glory, all her perfectly disgusting beauty. Her flawless dark elven body and face of a drow noble are propelled forward atop her arachnid lower half. 8 feet click across the stone surface as she strides towards the Drow, a maniacal smile pasted across her face, eyes burning red and death white hair billowing out behind her.

From Fanidea’s hands ignites the Wraith Scythe, and as the spider queen nears, she draws it back and prepares to strike.

Fanidea awakes and Megilwath asks if she is alright. She assures him she is, though she can hear a voice in her head telling her that she could have the power to kill Lolth if she just took up the Wraith Blade.

When Fanidea snaps from her meditation, the Wraith Blade whispers many things to the Drow. Promising ultimate power, enough to destroy Lolth. It also reveals to her that the Wraith Blade is only a name, and it can be any number of weapons, even a Scythe. It urges her to kill Megilwath and take it into her hands. She skirts around the idea at first, remembering the entire reason she is on the boat in the first place is entirely in opposition to what the Wraith Blade wants. She is supposed to protect Megilwath at the request of her guild in Menzoberranzan.

The cursed blade eventually starts to threaten, and no sooner, a host of Goblins and Orcs begin an assault on the anchored Tombstone.

Aces, Megilwath and Fanidea engage the oncoming enemies. Aces has the crew of the Tombstone moving as quickly as possible. And they begin hoisting anchor. During the fight, Fanidea decides to flirt with the idea of taking the blade before something truly evil gets their hands on it. The goblins and the orcs swarm onto the boat, but Aces and Modreg are able to manipulate and dispatch them easily knowing their way around the boat. Under clouds of darkness Fanidea attacks Megilwath from behind. It takes a moment before he realizes what is going on and turns his attacks against the goblins towards Fanidea. The Drow Cleric leverages the power over her kind and her undead minion crocodile from the Koa-Toa cave.

Megilwath attempts to defend himself but is very nearly killed by her, but Ehd and Aces figure out what is happening and lend aid to their friends who both claim they are being assaulted by one another. Eventually Fanidea is subdued and thought to be dead by the others but through her Amulet of Defered Death, she is able survive. before she slips off the side of the boat, she tells Ehd she is sorry, and she was tricked. She makes her way to shore and sneak past a trio of Ogres. The group finishes off the remaining Orcs and Goblins and Gregor, Braeden and Darrell get the Tombstone moving just as the Ogres bust through the trees and make their way into the water.

Fanidea’s Path

Fanidea wanders through the woods, badly bleeding. Her white hair caked with red. Her scythe drags behind her. After a while, she comes to a road and is nearly run over by an oncoming horse and carriage. She announces herself as not an enemy and that her ship was attacked. The man driving the carriage pulls back his hood to reveal himself as Gendar, the Drow shop keep from Baldur’s Gate by way of The Seven Pillared Hall, by way of Sschindylryn. He vaguely recognizes her from when he caught them in Baldur’s Gate and led them to his new underground (and now mobile) shop.

He tells her he is on the way to Neverwinter, hoping to catch her friends again (his best customers) and offers her a ride and rest in his cart. She gladly accepts and up the road they go.

Mentathenis, his new apprentice Nitzi, and Sam Emerge into Neverwinter Wood via the portal from the Feywild. Nitzi questions the safety of portals and voices her concern about the fact that she can’t remember anything prior to walking through it. Mentathenis explains to her about the nature of portals and sometimes disorientation can happen. She also asks about the fact that their last names are the same, and if Mentathenis is her father, to which he replies no, but she is a member of House Starfeon. He also starts calling her “Snips.”

After a moment, a deafening roar is heard overhead. Nizti closes her eyes and covers her ears. Mentathenis and Sam look up and through the canopy of the trees to glimpse the silhouette of a giant undead wyrm. The beat of her wings bends the trees and causes a blast of wind to surge towards them from above. Aurgloroasa screeches once more before she soars out of view. Mentathenis explains to Sam that they must follow the Dracolich, in hopes that she will lead them to where Saranine is being held captive. As they continue on, he tells them about Sara’s messages and Aurgloroasa’s plans to transform her into a Dracolich.

Old Sharandar

Soon after, they come across some old ruins that Mentathenis identifies as part of Old Sarandar, an ancient Eladrin city. Beautiful Fey relics, statues, toppled structures lie scattered about.

As they move through the ruins, they notoce that many pieces have been removed from the area, judging from indentations in the ground. Mentathenis teaches Nitzi about the ruins and it’s history. They then notice a fountain with a small lighted stream reaching out of it towards the sky. They conclude that it must be a beacon of some sort. Tucked behind one of the pillars of a ruined temple structure is a chest. Sam uses her knowledge of the Arcane to open the chest and Mentathenis has Nitzi watch. Suddenly a large Shambler animates behind Sam and swipes at her with it’s whipping branches. Though quick it appears to take great care around the relics and moves slowly around them. Sam plays a tune that slows the plant creature even moe and it doesn’t take long for them to kill it.

As they head back to the chest to collect it’s contents. a group of seven eladrin emerge from the woods and greet the three. The head Eladrin, introduces himself as Alcyon Nightbinder, a guardian of the Sharandar Restorers in Silmataurea. He thanks the three for protecting the relics while they were away. The six restorers renew the shambler and it returns to sleep in it’s sentry position. Alcyon offers the three adventurers assistance and a nights stay in New Sharandar to recover from their wounds. He also requests that the relics be returned to their care but Sam persuades them to let her carry them instead, citing the fact that she balanced one of their goblets on her head while killing their Shambler guardian. They agree.

Alcyon leads them all to a ruined temple, a Feybough. He offers Mentathenis the honor of opening a Fey Passage, and through they go, back into the Feywild, stepping out of a giant boulder on the other side, and on to New Sharandar, the eladrin village and headquarters of operations within Neverwinter Wood.

Safe Rest

They are led to Alcyon’s house and his partner, an eladrin woman named Alachia serves them dinner and over the meal their host expands on their presence within the wood. He tells them that his people are working to restore Sharandar to it’s former glory but with the Netherese removing precious artifacts from their sites, they can only hope to rescue as many as they can and bring them To New Sharandar for safe keeping. He says It has not been easy, and the Netherese have made off with countless sacred works of art and knowledge. They have lost two whole Fey Vaults to the darkness already and he fears that with each lost vault the Shadovar move forward their plot to resurrect Xinlenal that much faster, by repairing it’s Mythallar. He talks a little about the Fey vaults and their heavy defenses, but the Shadovar are still able to infiltrate and pillage them.

After dinner they all head to bed and the next morning Alcyon accompanies them back to the Feybough to see them returned safely to the prime.

The Fey Vault

As they continue on through the wood in a south eastern direction they coma across what appears to be a burrow with large stone doors that have been partially destroyed, allowing entrance into an underground passage. As the three decide to check it out, Mentathenis believes it may be an opened Fey Vault and something was trying to get in. Just past the entrance, they notice skeletal footprints, and two logs carved with thorny vines flanking the carved passage. Just beyond that, there is a large thirty foot long pit that also decends thirty feet into a nest of brambles. Tangled in the vines is an undead skeleton, struggling and entwined.

When Mentathenis reaches the edge, two claw like blades rip from the walls at the far side and slice forward toward him, before they hit him, he fey steps to the far side. The blades retract back into the walls. Nitzi and Sam examine the logs, while Mentathenis explores a little further to discover two more logs carved with a pattern of fire. Sam and Nitzi discover that the two eight foot logs can be removed from their alcoves easily. Mentathenis invites Nitzi across the pit to check out the fire logs. Sam stays back working on a way for her to cross. When Mentathenis pulls out one of the fire logs, the ceiling above the pit collapses, and with it, a mass of burning material falls into the pit lighting the brambles below on fire along with the stranded skeleton. Fire bats swarm put of the fire to attack the three intruders.

Three of them attack Nitzi and Mentathenis, a fourth flaps over to attack Sam on the entrance side of the pit. The bats prove to be more annoying than anything and Mentathenis takes the opportunity to let Nitzi get some practice in. After the bats are defeated, Mentathenis and Nitzi continue on, leaving Sam to figure her own way across the flaming pit.

A little further, The two eladrin find two more logs, these carved with mountainous peaks. Mentathenis instructs Nitzi to lead the way and she steps on a trigger plate, a rumble sounds from up ahead and a huge rounded boulder comes roaring towards them. They run back towards the entrance and fey leap across the pit to join Sam just as the boulder flies into the pit extinguishing the fire. Mentathenis and Sam decide to try to prop the logs up near the walls and at the edge of the pit. They activate the lade trap and when they slice out of the walls they crash against the logs and shatter. Allowing a safe crossing by grappling hook and rope. As Sam makes her way across, Mentathenis goes over the contents of the adventurers kit with Nitzi.

When the three move deeper into the heavily protected vault they come to what appears to be a dead end, at a waterfall spilling out of the ceiling and flowing through a small crevice in the floor. There are two more logs that Sam checks for traps, and notices a device under one of the logs. With no other options, they move the logs which are lighter that the three sets before, and hollowed on one side. The wall behind the waterfall cracks open and reveals an underground stream leading into the earth. The three use the logs as small boats and ride them down a twisting flume into the main Fey Vault. An underground lake, cluttered with beautiful statues temples and art. Above them looms a gigantic earthen dome roots and dirt twisted together to form a ceiling. In the center of the dome, on a small island, is a bowl of water, held by four dead browned roots.

Sam begins to loot quickly, against Mentathenis’ wishes. He leads Nitzi into the center of the small island to examine the fountain. The eladrin scoops a bit of water to sprinkle it on the roots, causing them to green slightly. Then he takes the bowl and pours it over the entire base, The roots suck in the water and turn from dry to a greenish brown, becoming rejuvenated from their ends down into the earth.

The ground begins to shake and they feel themselves being lifted towards the top of the dome. It’s roots pull back to release falling earth down from above. Light shines in as it breaks apart and opens. The three continue to rise along with the underground lake, the water draining away leaving them standing back in Neverwinter Wood, among the newly resurfaced ruins of Sharandar.

There to meet them is a Shadar Kai Witch with a host of skeletal minions. She voices her thanks to the heroes in raising the fey fault for her to loot and then commands her minions to attack. Without too much trouble the skeletons are defeated, and much of the witch’s magic fizzles against the three. They are able to quickly put her down.

Aces, Modreg, Megilwath, Fanidea, Ehd, Cliff and Terrlen have been on the ship sailing up the Sword Coast for two days. Bad weather has slowed their journey, fighting the tide wind and rain, it has been miserable. On the third day, the rain lets up enough for them to emerge from below deck. Captain Gregor Faringray and his two sons, Braedon and Darrell are still wearing their foul weather gear and look disheveled and tired.

Cliff has been praying a lot, Terrlen maps the Tombstone and enlists the help of Ehd. Aces helps out where she can squeeze between Gregor and his sons. Modreg hates being on the water. Megilwath has kept to himself brooding in the corner, and Fanidea sharpens her scythe.

The Feypoppies, Teena Tigerlily, Vitnee Moonshale and Chael Starwind practice their song and dance routine on the deck of the ship.

Rumbert, Raggert, Radnor and Rimblenose, mostly keep to themselves playing cards below deck, though they frequently emerge to vomit over the side, even though they haven’t eaten since Baldur’s Gate. Aces joins them, playing for a while looking to learn more about the four dwarves and their three elven employer’s interest in Sona Summergale. She gets a little info but for the most part, the dwarves stay quiet about gossip.

After an argument between Captain Gregor and his sons about being behind schedule, they decide to make anchor earlier than usual, near a wrecked boat about the same size as their own. It is wedged up in the rocks, near the shore.

The Wreck

Cliff, Ehd and Fanidea swim over to explore the abandoned ship and drag Megilwath along. On the deck, they find two skeletons, floating and bumping against the partially sunken ship’s rail and a strange symbol etched into the mast, and elsewhere on the ship. A point with 6 lines radiating from it. Four straight vertical lines below that l and one horizontal wavy one across the bottom. Most of the cargo has long since been looted but they discover spears in skeletons on cots.

Outside they can hear splashing and yelling from the Tombstone. The four explorers emerge from the underbelly of the wreck to see what the commotion is all about. Everyone is looking over the rail of the Tombstone and throwing things into the water. Braedon yells out that they saw something under the waves, humanoid and green with a spear.

Cliff and Ehd quickly dive into the water to check it out, and Fanidea follows, when she looks back to Megilwath, he is swimming back to the Tombstone. Frustrated and looking for a fight, she turns to head after the Monk and Warlord.

On their way down, Cliff spots a creature swim down and into an underwater fissure. He points it out to Ehd and they head towards it. Fanidea swims quickly to catch up.

Koa-Toa Lair

They emerge inside a dripping cave. Fanidea leads them with her dark vision into a large cavern with crude stone pillars and small ponds. They can see more of the symbols that they found in and around the wrecked ship. Fanidea checks the depth of the pools and lets her companions know that they go deep, and not to fall in. Cliff heads towards the largest pool and as he does, Kuo-Toa jump from the waters to attack the intruders. They pile in with their spears. The three are able to wipe out the first few with easy, but before long, they begin attacking from their pools, launching javelins. Ehd and Fanidea work on killing the ranged swimmers, while cliff hits the few who pop up from behind them. Soon after, the Koa-Toa are killed, and the three head further into the lair.

In the next area Fanidea notices a large dark shape under the water of one of two large pools, and Ehd is able to catch a glimpse of another Kuo-Toa in one of the pools. Suddenly a huge Crocodile explodes from one of the pools with a Kuo-Toa Drowner riding on it’s back and flipping a barbed net int the air catching Cliff inside. The Croc follows behind and bites into the Monk. As they begin to attack a second Crocodile bursts from the water behind to sandwich the heroes.

Fanidea discovers that her Flamestrike inhibits the crocodile’s algae regeneration, and Ehd works to keep the field under control. Cliff takes the brunt of the attacks but does a good job of keeping the enemies from attacking his friends. He falls during combat but manages to be healed. Before the first Croc dies, Fanidea casts Servitude in Death causing it to rise after falling and fight for the drow. She and Ehd continue to attack the now dismounted Drowner, and eventually the Undead Croc snaps the Koa-Toa in half. Fanidea turns it on the second croc and when it snaps at it, the second croc moans and cowers back to the pool in which it came.

They heal Cliff and head into the next cavern, as they approach, they can see a light owing brighter and brighter until they turn the corner and it is snuffed out in an instant. When their eyes adjust they find themselves in a large pool room with a shrine of a Koa-Toa priestess. A frightened Koa-Toa dives into the water and swims away. Cliff finds a stash of treasure under the water in the amount of 500 gold, a pair of Strikeback Gauntlets and a Girdle of Shielding.

Fanidea notices a small black crystal floating in the head of the stone statue’s staff. She removes it, and they head back towards the Tombstone.

Near Miss

As they exit the lair, Fanidea, Cliff and Ehd notice that her pouch is glowing brighter and brighter. The crystal within is gaining energy and when the swim out of the fissure, a beam of incineration fires from the crystal, through the pouch and up towards the Tombstone, narrowly missing it.

A huge thunderclap hits the ship, and a giant beam shoots from the water into the sky. The Feypoppies are frozen in terror, the dwarves hit the deck and the crew of the Tombstone duck. Aces recognizes the effect from the Goblin Tower and dives into the water where the beam originated, her maul rips her towards Fanidea and even before The drow can surface, the mul swipes the crystal fom her hand, and gets it into her bag of holding before it can recharge.

Fanidea Cliff and Ehd apologize for bringing back something so dangerous, and Aces explains to them what she knows about the power of the shards.

The next morning, they pull up anchor and continue on towards Neverwinter.

Mentathenis, pops the lid on the chest, an eye shattering light rips through the library. Before it blinds him fully, he is able to catch a glimpse of the chest’s contents. A strange pulsing orb and a dagger…

Then the light is ripped away into darkness and he hears a whisper…“Welcome back.”

The Hollow Tree

The environment has changed, the air around the heroes is no longer that of a dank dusty old library, but one of a cool forest.

As their eyes and ears adjust, they find themselves at the bottom of a gigantic tree’s hollowed stump. Sam, Andurel the librarian and the guard, Reginald stand disoriented. All around them hums the sound of wildlife. Golden runes, nested in the soft grass at their feet pulse, shatter into shards of sparkling glass and begin to fade away. A silver wisp of calming light floats nearby. It shifts and quickly flies away through a crack in the withered husk of the long dead tree.

Mentathenis is glowing. His skin is more translucent than usual, and through his veins pulse streams of light. His sky blue eyes are lit, and his hair is positively radiant… Andurel looks the same, as he is no longer a ghost, but once again, a living breathing eladrin, he stands in shock, but ecstatic to be alive. Reginald is freaked. Mentathenis is in bliss.

Suddenly. They hear a cracking and splitting, as if something is trying to break it’s way through the wall. Then they realize it’s already through, and was there the whole time, a tree sized treant stomps it’s way towards the four in anger.

Reginald moves in to do his guard job, Andurel rushes in to flank and Mentathenis and Sam launch their attacks and support from afar. The Treant hits hard but Sam knows they are highly vulnerable to fire and calls it out. Mentathenis hits it with a scorching burst and then conjures a flaming sphere. Reginald keeps it’s attention with taunts. During the fight The eladrin wizard determines that the Treant is under some sort of enchantment, though it is not corrupted. He lets the others know that it is okay to burn it down. And that’s what happens.

They move to the crack in the tree where the wisp disappeared and they discover a double magically sealed door. The first of which, Mentathenis is able to deactivate, the second, is typically a password in elvish. Being the Feybough into the Wizard’s tower of Baldur’s Gate, He recalls the password through ancient texts he once studied. “Tenna’ telwan san” “Until later then.” The side of the tree opens up to reveal a passage through and into the greater Feywild.

Through the Feywild

They make their way through the wild, skipping over huge rocks and ducking under giant roots of tress. Slippery moss covers everything. The etherial light finds it’s way through the cover and ignites dew into sparkling crystals of green and blue. They drip into the air and float away. Nearly everything in the Feywild displays a shifting subtle bioluminescence, when caught at just the right light entire forests can light up in life.

Sam catches sight of the wisp, zipping through the woods to the north. The sky is slowly growing lighter as the four enter into the swamp lands.

Nitzi

As they descend into the swampy territory, a thin layer of mist floats along the ground, obscuring it from their view and only a few giant twisted trees stretch above the veil. They tromp across the muddy landscape, sloshing through puddles and tripping over uneven terrain. Frogs and crickets sound all around.

Somewhere nearby, they can hear the sound of female laughter echo across the mist and can hear female voice say “Naa ta lle yeste? Naa lle sinome a’sina?” Mentathenis translates it to common from elvish for his companions “Is it your first time? Or are you here to reminisce?”

Sam, Andurel and Mentahenis attempt to locate where the voice came from, but can’t figure it out, and then it speaks again….“You won’t find anything if you are, hehe, it’s not here anymore, once you fail, you fail.” To which The eladrin queries “Here for what?”

And she replies “I’ve seen a bunch of you eladrin, prancing through goin’ on your trials…”

Andurel recommends that they move on and ignore the voice, Mentathenis responds that he is not on any trial, and they are trying to find their way back to Baldur’s Gate.

“Oh, interesting.” The girl says.

Sam continues to look around for the girl, but instead discovers a small red and black frog sitting on a log. It stares at the changeling and then looks at Mentathenis and speaks! “It is nice to see one more anyways, and his friends” Mentathenis picks up the poisonous frog with Mage Hand. Upside down she says “I could be a friend! I could be your best friend! For the right price.”

“Who are you?” He asks.

“My name is Nitzi, and I’m very poisonous, so be carefull!”

He shakes her around a little bit in attempts to get information but she doesn’t give in, only begging to be let down as she is starting to feel sick.
In effort to sell she tells him that The other eladrin, those who return, have told her stories about the trials. Finally Sam talks her price to speak down from 300 gold to 20 and she accepts, yawns and asks that they Just drop the gold in the water. Mentathenis sets her down, and she tells him “You must choose the weapon. It’s the only thing that will save you!” And he asks “From what?” She smiles, turns, and starts to climb back down the log into a hole.

“From your friends.”

The mist is clears, shapes begin to emerge from the white, and in the everpresent light they bloom into fanning ferns, beautiful flowered stalks and twisting bizarre plants of all shapes and sizes. In the water at their feet, they can see hundreds and hundreds of gold coins scattered about. There is far more than their own 20 coins under the water.

Behind them, they can hear Nitzi yell out…

“The forest is dangerous between here and the trials. Be-waaaaaaare! Hehe!”

The Friendly Satyr

The Feywood begins to grow dark and the four hear music on the wind. Following, it grows louder, the sound of a pan flute, and quite a beautiful melody, until winds pick up and drown it out. It appears that a fey storm is gathering. Up ahead they can see a dark wall of foliage, that they push through into a beautiful little glade, On an enchantingly ray lit grassy mound, is a cottage. There is a Satyr on it’s porch, playing the flute.

When they enter the glade, the little daisies turn their petals and awe at the four walking into the garden.

The goat man notices them, then hesitantly walks over to them and introduces himself as the friendly Satyr. They ask if they can find shelter and he says yes, but only for the night.

The winds outside begin to pick up to hurricane levels. A heavy shower pours into the forest. Trees at the edge of the glade are waved back and forth, struggling to hold themselves together.

He turns to each of the heroes and asks them to tell him about themselves. And they do. He then offers to show them some magic, enters his bedroom and returns with an illuminated sword. Which he presents as having been his grandfather’s, a great slayer of unfriendly satyr.

Mentathenis asks to examine the sword and identifies it as being called the Infinity Blade. He is awe stricken by it’s power and says " In the wrong hands it can be very dangerous, but in the right, it could be used to great effect against the forces of evil." The satyr asks if his hands are the right ones and Mentathenis replies that they are, and the Satyr offers him the blade. He accepts.

The friendly satyr also offers three more magical items to Sam, Andurel and Reginald, a dagger called the Shifting Slicer. A Codex of Sorting and a Halberd of Courage respectively. They accept them all along with four trinkets of moderate magical properties. An hour glass, a stepping stone, a key and a vial of air.

The friendly satyr laughs maniacally then begins to grow. His eyes turn a burning red and he says “Your greed has made me powerful! Now you will pay in kind with your lives!” He attacks.

After a quick battle, they manage to lay the satyr in his bed and put him to sleep, the weapons that he gave disappear but the trinkets remain, and the fey storm outside subsides, allowing the four to exit the glade and continue on.

Four for Four

After a short trek they come across a wide dry river. Huge boulders are scattered about. Using caution, Sam picks up a rock and chucks it into the bed. The pebbles begin to shift and roll to the side. Then the larger rocks begin to follow. A huge stone flips itself on end and rolls away ricocheting off of two larger rocks which rock back and then come barreling forward, slamming against other giant boulders. All the rocks in the bed start rumbling. Thinking it far too dangerous to cross for fear of being crushed, Mentathenis tries to use one of the trinkets. He pulls out the hourglass and flips it over, suddenly all the rocks stop in time, allowing the heroes to make their way quickly to the other side. The hourglass disappears

Soon after, the four find themselves standing in front of a fifteen foot high Wall of Writhing Thornes, Sam takes out the flat stepping stone and places it on the ground. It creates a floating staircase up and over the wall allowing them to pass. The staircase and the original stone disappear.

When they find themselves in the middle of another beautifully lit glade in center of five trees at each point of a star. Mystical sparkles rise from the grass, as if the whole area is imbued with magic. They discover that each tree has a word written upon it in a language they have never seen but Mentathenis thinks it similar enough to elvish that he can translate them. One of the trees has a hollow knot in it.

“Mani naa ta lle merna” meaning: “What is it you want?”

Mentathenis pops the top on the vial of air and as he approaches the tree with the knot in it, he begins to discorporate and flow into the dark hole. Then he thinks about what he wants, to return to Baldur’s Gate and through the hole he can see the ruined wizard tower of the city. Changing his mind, he chooses to continue on to his trials and the vision through the knot changes accordingly, to another area in the Feywild. He and Sam allow themselves to be sucked into the hole to the other side. Andurel says he wants to see his daughter, and through the knot sees that she is alive and well in Silverymoon, working in a library. He is happy with that vision and asks to see Mentathenis, then discorporates and drifts to join he and Sam on the other side. Reginald, tired of the Feywild and just wanting to return to his duties as guard of The Gate, changes the view to the ruined wizard’s tower, and drifts through. The knot closes and the vial of air disappears.

Mentathenis, Sam, and Andurel make their way into a darker area where a strange viridian glow is present. As they crest a hill, below in a blackwood, burning green sap belches from the trees, pouring out in streams and forming slow moving rivers of sticky flaming molten sludge. Andurel uses the last trinket, the key and walks towards the sap where it clicks into an invisible lock. When he turns it, the glowing outline of a door appears and he opens it. A mirror of the door becomes visible on the far side of the sap field. They walk through the threshold and come safely out the other door. The key and the two magical doors disappear.

The Tower of Starlight

They move into a large field of flowers and watch as three huge roots erupt from the ground before them. They twist around each other and stretch toward the canopy of the forest. As they rise together, they pale and begin to change into a pearlescent, semi translucent structure, stars and galaxies swirl within it’s crystalline walls. A door forms at it’s base and the roots extend five stories into the air before stopping. Something emits a glow at the top of the tower.

Andurel stays at the bottom as Mentathenis and Sam climb it’s spiral stairs.

Final Trial

At the top, a glowing being, shaped as an eladrin female floats in the center of the disc that they now stand upon. Her eyes are locked upon Mentathenis. And in his head he can hear a whisper…

A spectral image of the Infinity Blade appears, and spins in the center of the floor. Around the edge of the tower, spectral images of Mentathenis’ and Sam’s friends.

Lythannis Ec’thillion struggles to sift through the rubble of the Wizard’s Tower in Baldur’s Gate, A look of fear masked by resolve across his face.

Aces, Modreg, Ehd, Cliff, Terrlen, Megilwath and Fanidea are circled, talking. They share a look of worry coupled with determination, they rock back and forth on a ship in the ocean.

Saranine Lunathalia is chained by glowing shackles, she has her nose buried in a book. Something draws her attention and she looks up, hesitant hope is glimpsed in her eyes before she sighs and returns to her reading in disappointment.

Symernia the Nightbringer leads an army of demons against a small village on a strange desert landscape. For a moment, in her eyes, flashes a cry for help then they burn up in focused hatred as she slices through her enemies.

Krushi appears to be flying through darkness, really fast, and straight down. Lightning trails out in lengths behind her and she leaves a funnel of swirling mist in her wake. For a moment, Mentathenis and Sam think they see her grin.

The glowing eladrin woman giggles.

Mentathenis says “Let’s get this done!” And grabs the Infinity Blade.

“Battle Mage indeed…you may not like my choices.” says the glowing woman…“Lythannis. Just a friend or is he more? As you are unwilling to sacrifice for him, you must fight for him.”

The spectral image of Lythannis steps onto the platform anger in his eyes. He draws an arrow from his bow and fires it at Mentathenis hitting him in the shoulder. He returns fire with his spells and Sam helps to keep the eladrin wizard alive against his friend. Eventually, without too much trouble, the arcane archer is defeated and his image is dispelled.

“Saranine Lunathalia, Saranathia, the Radiant Dawn. Though she can still be saved, lets see what will become of her if she is not.”

The spectral image of Saranine breaks her shackles as her skin decays turning into a lich. She steps onto the platform, and moves to destroy Mentathenis. She attacks with necrotic spells and abilities and the Eladrin fights back with Magic Missiles. Below, hearing the impact of the magic, Andurel decides Mentathenis may actually need his help and runs up the tower to engage. Sam does a good job of keeping her eladrin friend alive and with Andurel’s radiant damage preventing the lich of Saranine from regenerating, they are able to take her down, and she disappears.

“Though you have chosen battle as your answer, you have the will and power to carry it through, no matter the obstacle. You are ready.”

The glowing woman raises her hands and into them she summons Nitzi the frog. Who cries out “Whhoaaaaaaa! Where am I? What’s going onnnn?” The frog explodes into golden light and transforms into the shape of an eladrin girl. A red robe swirls out of the air to cover her dew kissed porcelain skin. Her hair turns from golden light to a shining black.

She looks at her arms and in shock she says, “I, I have…fingers! Oh wow, I’m tall! I’m! I’m! What am I?”

Mentathenis asks the glowing woman “Who is the dark haired eladrin?”

The glowing woman answers “Her name is Nitzi Starfeon, She is your apprentice. Train her well.”

Then she turns and opens a portal into a forest.

“This will lead you into Silmataurea, Neverwinter Wood, where the next stage of your your journey begins. Tenna’ telwan san.” And she turns back into a wisp and disappears.

Andurel congratulates Mentathenis and bids both he and Sam farewell, jumping from the tower and blinking into the Feywild below.

Mentathenis looks towards Nitzi and says “Come along!” She and Sam follow him through the portal and into Neverwinter Wood.